


It Had to be You

by Turtlez



Series: Deals out of Desperation [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Bill scares Dipper a bit, Fluffy, Kissing, M/M, Slight mentions of blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 12:36:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4919809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turtlez/pseuds/Turtlez
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill and Dipper have fun day in the mysterious forest of Gravity Falls by playing tag, taking photos, and serenading each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Had to be You

**Author's Note:**

> Tada! Here is my gift for caillys in the summeringravityfalls exchange. Also shout out to tumbler user: mellodew for being a great beta!

In Dipper’s honest opinion, he had spent the entire day in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls perfectly. During the early hours of the day, he had helped one of his great uncles with running the mystery shack, and the other with a small experiment in the basement. A usual morning by their family’s odd standards. The tourists knocked things over, while being mesmerized by the mystery shack’s fake attractions. The experiment in the basement mostly consisted of his Great Uncle Ford trying to understand the magical properties of gnomes’ rainbow puke. Yeah, it was practically like every morning.

Afterwards, Dipper had helped them both with packing up for their long awaited trip out of state. It took some time, since Stanley and Stanford were stalling and making excuses throughout the entire process. The bad blood from the portal incident thirty-seven years ago still ever present. Although, Dipper somehow managed to get them out with a bit of coercing, and they were out of the shack, on their way to who knows where in the country, considering that Stanley was banned from over half of the states.

Since he was left alone in the shack, Dipper allowed himself the liberty of sneaking off into the forest. He wanted to spend the rest of the day in its enrapturing mysteries. He explored the deepest part of the woods for something magical, something new to document in his own journal, something he had never seen before in his wildest imagination. At least, he hoped he would be able to find something among those lines and not something that would get him into trouble. Again.

After seven years of spending every summer with his great uncles, he had become well known as the small town’s great mystery hunter- and he had gained the name rightfully so with his countless adventures. In those many adventures, a lot of things had changed. He had gained his fair share of confidence, strength, and information. He had learned a lot about the mysterious world and creatures around him, in all of those explorations and conversations. Dipper’s list of allies had also increased with the friendships that he formed with some of the different types of mystical creatures. Most of those relations were thanks to the multi-bear, whom he still visited, every so often, to have Baba karaoke nights. It was good to be on their good sides, instead of being fearful of their presence.

Just as he had gained allies, Dipper had also gained a few more enemies. He had learned how to defend himself better with the use of punches, kicks, knives, axes, and magical spells. The magical spells, which had all been taught to him by his most unexpected ally, were still developing but he used them nevertheless. He was not too bad at it, if did say so himself.

His seven summers in Gravity falls had been quite eventful.

Although, there were also some constants in his life, such as his unquenchable thirst for knowledge and his sister. Mabel continued being his best friend, along with the most colorful, vibrant, and sociable person that he had ever known. While Dipper immersed himself almost completely in the world of the supernatural, Mabel found her place in both of them. She stayed close to him, occasionally going on adventures with him, and simply spending time with him. If she wasn’t out with him then, then she would go out with her other groups of friends, and that was perfectly fine with Dipper. She was currently out with her friends on a vacation of their own, while he preferred to stay behind in the shack.

He was alone, but it did not mean that he was lonely. He was happy traveling alone in the forest, and maybe someone or something he knew would pop by to say hi or something.

The young man moved through the grove, making his way down the dirt trail that he had come to know very well. He had walked down it so many times that he could almost claim it as his own little dirt path, and it technically was. The usual rain that graced their small town had eroded the path even more, making it even more noticeable. The grass grew, freely on both sides of the small trail. The trees stood tall around him, the leaves rustling every so often, and giving him a good amount of shade. Dipper was not headed towards any certain part of the forest. He was just roaming around, and trying to see what the woods had in store for him; Even though every fiber of his being wanted to pull out a piece of paper and make a plan.

He walked over a fallen tree, balancing himself on the makeshift bridge over the break in the earth to continue on his path. He felt so liberated, in the forest. He tipped his head back and extended his arms out on either side to balance himself. One of his hands barely brushing against the rock wall on his right, while his left hand simply caressed the wind freely. He was going downhill, and he could hear the natural sounds of the forest. If he were to accidentally slip off the trunk, he would find himself tumbling down the rocky side of the mountain to the river down below. The mystery hunter truly doubted that he would make it unscathed. The slight fear that gripped him, due to the thought, vanished when he made it to the end of the tree trunk, and jumped off onto solid ground.

Dipper walked to the edge, estimating the amount of time that it would take for him to get down there. It wouldn’t be more than a thirty minute walk. If he hurried he could cut the time in half, but he wasn’t in any sort of rush. Therefore, he just cautiously continued on his path instead of just running down there. If he had been with Mabel, she would have grabbed his hand and made him run down there, but she wasn’t, so he did things his way. Dipper just observed every little detail, trying to catch something in the corner of his eyes, because everything interesting always happened almost out of sight. 

If he hadn’t been paying attention, he would have missed the many flowers blooming, on the other side of the small break in the ground. In this time of year it should not have been possible for them to be blossoming, but they were due to their obvious magical properties. They were all still fresh and beautiful.

As he looked over the flora, a particular flower stood out from the rest as it seemed to glow a vibrant pink and overshadowed them all with its beauty. He didn’t dare touch it, not wanting to disturb it. Although, he desperately wanted to analyze it. He could feel himself becoming giddy at the discovery. He excitedly scrambled through his backpack and took out his polaroid camera, which was a gift from Mabel. She had given it to him on their birthday, since she knew that he was kind of a lousy artist, and that he liked to capture moments, objects, and creatures perfectly. Therefore, she gave it to him so he would have a fast and accurate way to document his findings.

To say that Dipper was grateful for the gift was an understatement. Mabel also benefited from it, since she incorporated the pictures that he had no use for in her scrapbooks somehow. It was a win win situation for both of them.

Dipper steadied the camera in his hand, looking through the viewfinder and centering on the enchanting flower. He moved around, being mindful of his surroundings, as he tried to get the best angle that captured all of its strange attributes. When he found the perfect angle, he snapped a picture. Dipper waited, as he heard the whirl of the machine processing and developing the film, before he pulled it out and shook it. Once the image formed on it, he smiled and was absolutely pleased with himself. He had done everything that he had set up to do with the picture; all of the flower’s features were clear in it. It wasn’t too shabby.

Dipper immediately sat down on the grass, making himself comfortable by pressing his back against one of the random trees around him. He looked up at the sky, guessing the amount of sunlight that he had left in the day. His heart soared as he noticed that he still had a lot of daytime to waste, and it was not like he was in any sort of hurry to get home. There was no better way to spend his day than to discover new things. It had to be the best pastime in the world for him.

The mystery hunter pulled out his own journal, which was still decorated with the same golden, six fingered hand, which his Grunkle Ford had indulged him with after he had asked a couple of times. It had been such a pain to convince him, but absolutely worth it. The number four ink-written on top of it was also allowed on his version of the journals. His documented findings so far only filled it half way. The thought of filling it up one day excited him. There was just so much information at their fingertips in Gravity Falls, all of it could easily fill up an entire library, and he wanted to document as much as humanly possible.

Dipper readjusted his pine tree cap, making it push down on his bangs to cover his birthmark. Another constant in his life. Before he decided to get straight to work, he pulled out a pen and some tape out of his backpack. Dipper kept the picture that he had just taken in between his lips, making sure that he wasn’t biting or drooling over it. He did not feel like getting up again to take another one since he was already comfortable, so he reminded himself to keep control of his spit.

He opened up the journal to an empty page, setting the picture down on it and moved it around the page until he was satisfied. He smiled a bit, as he noticed that his sister’s scrapbooking habits had brushed up on him, wasn’t that just great. What would be next? Maybe he’d start wearing large sweaters in the summer too, or even start being more sociable. Dipper shook away his thoughts, being like Mabel would not be bad, but he liked being himself. Mabel would probably make him back down from taking her spot with her ‘alpha twin’ strength anyways. As he began to tape the polaroid picture down, Dipper made sure to leave enough room for the title on the top, and the information that would fill the page. Once he was done setting everything up, Dipper went back towards the actual flower. He wanted to jot down all of the points he could make about it. This was his favorite part after all.

He wrote about the way it looked, the way it glowed, and the way it smelled. After writing all of the basic information that he could without disturbing the flower, he decided that he should move on to a more hands on approach. He leaned forward, not daring to step over any of the other flora, because if there was one mystical thing then another wasn’t far off.

Dipper was about to touch the flower, his fingers just centimeters away from one of its petals, when his surroundings started to lose all of its color. Everything slowly became engulfed by gray hues. A deathly silence filling the area. His eyes narrowed. He searched for the already known culprit. This sort of occurrence, only ever happened, when Bill Cipher was involved.

But there were no signs of him. Dipper craned his neck, looking for him from side to side, in front of him, and behind him. He stayed embedded into the same spot, except for his head as he continued to search. His back twisting every so often, but his feet remained grounded to the floor. The mystery hunter was stumped for a moment, until he realized that he had still not searched the one obvious spot. His head instantly shot up, and his eyes connected with two golden ones, which were filled with absolute mirth. “It took you long enough, Pine Tree!” The dream demon announced happily, as he continued to float upside down in the air, pressing both of his hands to Dipper’s cheeks to keep him grounded. “If you had taken another second to look up, I would have dumped some blood on you.”

“That’s both: disturbing and disgusting.” Dipper said, making a face. He cringed away from Bill’s hands, but the demon’s human vessel held fast.

“Oh come on, kid!” The demon laughed. “It wouldn’t have been human blood, because I know that you’re all squeamish about the whole ‘murder’ shebang. It would have just been from a deer or something. Not that bad, right?”

“It would have been a pain to wash out of my clothes.” Dipper protested, rolling his eyes at the demon’s comment. Although, it was almost sweet how he had chosen not to make it human blood. In his own sort of strange way, Bill really did love him, and maybe he wasn’t lying about it. “Anyways, Bill, what are you doing here?”

Bill’s grin grew. “Well, as busy as I am, I wasn’t about to let you touch that pretty, little flower without me here, Pine Tree.” The demon tilted his head back to face the flower in question. “And now that I’m here, you can keep going. Touch it!”

Dipper drew back his hand, pressing it against his chest. If it interested Bill enough to leave the mindscape and encourage him, then it obviously went against his better judgement to continue with the motion. The demon whined, bringing his attention from the flower to the hand that Dipper held against his chest back to his face.

“Don’t be like that, kid!” Bill squished his cheeks, pouting. “I came all the way here for it. Trust me. It’ll be fun. Now, go on. Do it!”

Dipper shook his head. “Not until you tell me what it does… Or at least a clue. ”

“A clue?” Bill repeated, one of his hands letting go of Dipper’s cheek, tapping his own chin in thought. He seemed to have trouble thinking of something appropriate, before a smile erupted on his face. “Alright. Here’s your clue, Pine Tree!”

Bill immediately shot forward, closing the space between them, to seize his lips. The sudden kiss surprised Dipper, but it was not long before he was responding back. He made his best attempt to keep up with the dream demon in the odd angle, considering that Bill was upside down. The kiss was a soft movement of their lips, moving against each other. The pressure sending a pleasant shiver down his spine. The demon tilted Dipper’s head with his hands back on his cheeks, while Dipper’s hands curled themselves in the dream demon’s golden locks. He instinctively parted his lips, when Bill’s tongue licked his bottom lip. His cheeks took the bright red flush, it usually did when they did this sort of thing. Their tongues brushing, their lips connecting, and their breaths intermingling always made him so flustered. 

It was too soon, when Bill pulled away from the kiss. Dipper kept his eyes closed for a moment longer having trouble opening them, the sensations from the kiss leaving him overwhelmed. Once he managed to open his glossy eyes, he focused on Bill’s grinning, smug face. He should really be used to the dream demon’s antics by now, but alas it still got to him.

“Now, what a kiss like that lead to, hm?” The demon hummed against his lips. “And what would make those events even better? What would make it a little bit more intense, make it last a bit longer? Starts with an A.”

Dipper looked at Bill a bit dazedly, before his mind started to process the words. It took him longer than usual, his mind hazy from the intensity of the kiss, but he figured it out quickly. When he fully understood the hidden meaning behind the dream demon’s actions and words, he froze in place. A little squeak leaving his throat, as his body hit a new level of redness at his understanding. He backed away from the flower, covering his face in embarrassment. 

“You stupid demon.” Dipper muttered under his breath.

Bill laughed hysterically, letting go of Dipper to grasp his own stomach. The damn dream demon probably found his ‘ridiculous human’s reactions’ completely hilarious. He even started to spin backwards into a backflip, going round and round, and flying higher into the sky. After a couple of spins, Bill regained himself, floating closer to the ground his feet still inches from it. He wiped away tears from his eyes, pumping his hand in the air, making the sound of slot machines go off. “You got it! I’m impressed!” He grabbed Dipper’s hand, holding them between his own. “Now, go touch it and let’s get this party started.” 

“No way.” Dipper squeaked, feeling his face burn with the embarrassment. The dream demon truly had no shame.

Bill laughed wholeheartedly, letting go of his hands. “Fine, kid. Maybe later.” He winked at him, before capturing the glowing flower in a blue flame and transporting it into the mindscape. He looked around for a moment, before his smile became even wider. Dipper could practically see the wheels in the dream demon’s mind spin, as he was struck by a probably random idea. The smile on his face giving everything away. “On a totally different note, Pine Tree, I want to try something with you. Would you mind?”

“Depends on what it is.” Dipper felt glad that Bill had let go of the other subject very easily and respected his decision. The demon always tended to switch subjects quite easily anyways. The mystery hunter started to quickly pack up his stuff inside of his backpack, while he had the chance. He watched with slight amusement, as Bill started tapping his fingers against one another enthusiastically. His single eye crinkling with excitement. This could not possibly be good.

“Just one of your human rituals.” Bill leaned back, opening his arms in front of him, summoning magical blue flames to make little figures of people running around. “I’ve seen your kind always do it. Especially the little meat sacks, and it almost seems fun.” Dipper watched, as the small figures started to run away in circles from one person, while the one figure chased after them vehemently… And it suddenly clicked.

“You want to play tag?” Dipper scoffed incredulously, raising an eyebrow at the strange request. He watched as the chasing figure caught one of the other figures and pumped its hand in victory. “An immortal being of pure energy wants to play a child’s game.”

“I sure do. What’s your point, kid?” Bill crushed the flames, having made his point; the little figures screaming out in pain. Dipper ignored the small sound not knowing how to address it, the dream demon probably did it just to unnerve him. In turn Bill ignored Dipper’s shudder and tone of voice, as he started to look pensive. The dream demon absentmindedly floated a few feet off the ground, sitting in the air, and moving his hands. “I’ve never had a chance to do it before, and what better time than the present to try it?”

Dipper pondered the situation his head, ridding himself of the uncomfortable feeling the scream had brought. It was an innocent enough request, and there were not many ways that Bill could use the situation to do anything really bad. Just a harmless little game. 

“Alright. Do you know how to play?” Dipper asked, deciding to not avoid the inevitable and just play the game. He had long since given up the insecurity of seeming childish in front of others, because he was already an adult and now he actually craved for those simple times to return. Second of all, it was to make Bill happy and he could not deny him something that he could provide with ease. The bonus point was that he knew Bill would not judge him for being immature, since the demon was as well.

Bill nodded, clapping his hands in excitement, and bouncing in the air. “You could bet your bottom dollar that I do! Someone chases and the other one runs away! Once the person finds the others, they have to touch them, so they can start all over!”

Dipper couldn’t help the small chuckle at Bill’s enthusiasm. “Yeah. That’s pretty much how it goes.” Dipper started to inch closer to the floating man in front of him, who was kneeling on air. “But if we’re going to do this, then there needs to be special rules for playing with an almost omnipotent being of pure energy. It wouldn’t be fair, if you got to use all of your powers.”

“Of course, kid! It would not be fun, after all if you made it too easy for me.” Bill puffed out his cheeks, furrowed his brows, and placed a fist underneath his chin. He was making a show of thinking. Dipper let out a small breath of air through his nose, in a sort of laugh, at the image. Bill always showed so much emotion, while he was in his human body. It was like he was trying to make up for centuries of not being able to do it with a full set of facial features . “Okay, so I won’t use my all seeing eyes, no teleportation, I won’t use my magic to freeze you, and I’ll actually run. Plus one more handicap. It’ll make the chase much more fun.”

“Don’t forget that the person being chased gets a head start. Let’s make it 30 seconds?” Bill nodded, and Dipper couldn’t help the endearing sight.

The mystery hunter hooked his index finger underneath the demon’s chin, dragging him down and closer to him. Bill was practically bowing in front of him, before he went in for a kiss. He parted his lips, watching as Bill did the same, and he held the other still. He was the only one that was closing in the distance, their breath fanning each other, until their mouths connected. Dipper lightly pressed their lips together in a feather light touch. He kept it simple and clean, making Bill want more, as he moved his lips together. When the mystery hunter pulled away, Bill tried to reclaim his lips by leaning forward, but Dipper was already running away, yelling: “You’re it!”

Dipper bolted straight through the foliage, deciding to run into the deepest part of the woods. The part that held the most trees, bushes, and other things that could provide him some cover. He really was not scared of anything that might be in the woods, especially with Bill soon to be right on his tail. All of the creatures in the forest knew better than to mess with an all-powerful demon after all. Behind him, Dipper could still hear him laughing, but it was slowly getting further away. Dipper knew that Bill would let nothing bad happen to him, since it was part of the deal that the demon had to ensure him a long life. He ran without a care in the world, in the fastest pace that he could to take advantage of the thirty seconds. He could feel the items shift in his backpack with each of his steps, so he moved one arm behind himself to grasp onto the camera inside, through the thin fabric. He wanted to make sure that his camera would not get jumbled up or scratched. Mabel would probably go straight to sweater town if he let anything happen to it, so it was better to be on the safe side. 

Dipper counted each passing second inside of his head, trying to push himself as hard as he could, as he continued to run downhill. 20 seconds left. Thankfully, all of the years of running away from all the monsters in Gravity Falls, had done wonders for his cardio. 15 seconds left. Mabel had even succeeded in making him join cross country, along with track and field back at their hometown. He could run for miles, and short distances fast. 10 seconds left. At the moment he was stuck between wanting to pace himself, and wanting to use up all of his reserves to get as much distance between them. 5 seconds left. His decision was to keep a steady rhythm. He was going to make it a challenge for Bill, and make it last as long as he could. He also did not want to get a cramp, but he kept going nonstop. Time was up. 

Just knowing that Bill was already running after him was enough to get his adrenaline pumping. The idea of a chase, sending a slight chill through his body, and it made him excited. It was fun to play again.

Dipper didn’t hear anything, other than the sound of his feet meeting the dirt floor. His own thoughts concentrating on simply getting away. He knew he would not be able to win, but he was going to play like there was a possibility. He had managed to make it to another dirt path that led downward. It felt like he was in some sort of tunnel with the trees on either side of him, their branches growing long enough to cover most of the sunlight above him. He could only see the light at the very end of the natural tunnel, giving him a point to make it towards. He kept up his form, breathing through his nose, and kept moving. Before he had made it to his goal, he stopped dead in it his tracks. A voice breaking through the sounds of the woods. Everything else went silent. The birds no longer chirping, and the scurrying of small animals stopping. 

The only thing that the winds carried was the haunting melody. 

Bill must have amplified the sound of his voice, since Dipper could not see any signs of him. The voice that the demon was using was different from the high pitched and echoing one that remained constant in both of his forms. It was the complete opposite at the moment. His soft and low voice, caressing his ears, making him pay attention solely to the sound. The words, the ones that he was able to translate in his mind, were unnerving. Some of the words seemed to have the consistency of many dead, ancient languages, and others did not even seem human. The words that he was able to translate were those with promise of finding him and catching him, holding something malicious in them. It terrified him. Dipper could feel his knees start to buckle, as the sense of dread shot through him. His heartbeat accelerating on its own accord, because Dipper knew that Bill wouldn’t hurt him; He could not hurt him. It was just a game, and Bill was messing with him.

He could feel his body start to tremble, as laughter broke out in the forest. It was Bill’s laugh, and it usually made him happy to hear it, but it was not the same laughter that he had gotten used to and grown to love. It sounded unhinged, and coated with ill intentions. The laughter ended and it became silent once again, all that Dipper could hear was the sound of his almost panicked breaths. He was barely keeping his fear under control. Then, all sense of control disappeared, when he heard a whisper right in his ear, singing. “You better start running, love~”

Dipper bit back a whimper, as he whirled around to run again. He got off the path, and went behind the tree line to make it harder for the demon to catch him. It was hard to concentrate on the things in front of him and to not lose his footing, but he managed. The young mystery hunter lost any sort of pace that he had set for himself. He was just running. Dipper could still hear the singing behind him, the twisted love song, driving more panic into him. He needed to get away. He needed to get away. The situation faintly reminded him of the few near death experiences that he had experienced, of the monster that chased after him to do as they pleased, and the fear that was attached to each of those memories.

He jumped down a pile of rocks, almost as tall as him, stumbling as he reached the floor. Dipper could still hear the faint sounds of distant footsteps behind him, along with that horrific tune, and the mystery hunter whirled back around to keep running. He did not know how the demon was moving so fast in the first place. He was running as fast as he could, how could the demon still be right behind him. He ducked under fallen logs that were held up by other trees, and jumped over large rocks that would have tripped him otherwise. Dipper made all the right choices to ensure that he had space in between them, but it was all for naught. He could still hear song. He couldn’t take it. “Bill! Stop it!” He yelled shakily with tears brimming in his eyes. “Please, shut up! Just stop.”

Dipper could not take it anymore. He did not want to hear any more of those words that spilled from Bill’s voice. He could not handle the song in its entirety. It was not human. It was not right. It was completely demonic and horrifying. Then, it stopped just as suddenly as it had arrived. Dipper brought up a hand up to wipe away the unshed tears. The feeling of fear fading. It was odd. Now that the song had stopped, all of the dread and fear he had felt were gone.

Moments later, Dipper felt a slight brush against the back of his neck, and jumped forward. He shakily turned around to see the culprit, finding a small, blue orb floating in front of him. When he extended his finger to touch it, the orb exploded into more tiny little blue orbs that formed a message: 'Sorry for scaring ya, Pine Tree.’ The little blue orbs dispersed, once again on their own, spelling out: 'I got carried away. Do you still want to play?’

Dipper sighed, catching his breath, pacing back and forth to keep his legs from cramping up. He considered telling the demon that he did not want to play anymore, but he actually did want to play. It had been fun . He’d felt free; almost like a child, running around in the forest without a care in the world. At least until the dream demon had sung that stupid, scary song. He put his hands behind his head, stretching, and considering. His fear had finally vanished. Dipper guessed the sole reason for his panic was just that song. It made him feel terrified, and it was just an involuntary reaction. He was going to make sure that he asked Bill what it was all about later, and give him a piece of his mind for scaring him in such a way.

Right now, the mystery hunter wanted to carry on with their little game.

Hopefully, they would be able to get through it without another incident. Dipper stopped his pacing for a second, concentrating on the small message spell that Bill had taught him. It was actually one of the first ones he taught him. His magic took on the same color as the dream demon, since it was basically Bill’s magic that had been incorporated into his being. It was all thanks to the amendments made to their original contract that allowed him to tap into the demon’s magical reserves. Unlike Bill’s perfectly condensed circular orb, his magical message did not have a fixed form. The orbs trapped inside continued to move in a continuous jumbled state. Although, it held up pretty well, so Dipper decided to just send it instead of dwelling on it any longer.

The winds carried his message back to the demon, so he would know that he was forgiven, and that they could still play if he did not sing that song. Dipper actually wanted to hear more of that nice voice, but not of that song. He waited for another message or orb, announcing the end of their little break. He lifted his foot and pressed into the tree in front of him, leaning forward to alleviate some of the pain in his legs. He also pulled the straps on his backpack taut, and used them to tie around it, so he would no longer have to hold down the things inside of it.

Dipper had just finished preparing himself, when Bill’s voice began to vibrate through the woods.

The moment that Bill started to sing again, it took on a whole different tone. It was one of those classical, old songs that Bill enjoyed hearing to on most occasions. It was no longer scary or threatening. It was just peaceful- with a hint of romance. Most importantly it was human. Bill was still using the same gorgeous and intricate voice from before, but it sounded light and pleasant with the change of song. It relaxed his nerves. Dipper took a deep breath, before he started to sprint again, kicking up some dirt. He guessed the singing was the extra handicap that Bill had mentioned for him, because now he could estimate how far he was, and where he was coming from, and pretty much his entire position.

Dipper ran through the grove, stepping over the moss covered earth. He was quick on his feet, and with his reputation of running from things he was actually going a decent job. His steps took on a heavier sort of note, when he reached a downward slope. He let the momentum of the downward path help him as much as it could, gaining quite a bit of distance from Bill. The trees were still looming over him their branches like a net catching the rays of sun before it ever reached him. The air brushing past his face, cooling down his heated body from the exercise.

After a while, Dipper could feel himself getting tired. He decided to look for a hiding spot. He continued his pace, as he looked around for a suitable place. It was not until Dipper made it out of the darkness that he found a good enough hiding spot, since he was too tired to run anymore. He found himself in a small clearing, tall shrubbery and grass with some colorful flowers covering the floor, while trees here and there provided some shade. It was perfect.

Dipper shot his way into the greenery, bending down into and using it to hide. He found a small spot behind a large rock that was large enough to cover him. The singing got closer, and he relaxed into his spot, catching his breath. Bill could not be further than a few feet, judging by the sound of his voice. He took off his backpack setting it down next to him, cringing in disgust as he brought a hand to touch his sweaty back. He would definitely have to take a shower, when he got back home. Although, he had more pressing matters with Bill’s voice coming closer; the demon was probably at the threshold of the grove that he was in.

Dipper peaked over the rock, spotting the blond hair in the dark end of the forest, and shot back down. Hopefully the dream demon had not noticed him. At least his short reprieve allowed him a bit of time to catch his breath. He waited patiently for Bill to emerge from the shadows, starting to move his head from side to side in rhythm with the song, and mouthed the chorus. It was nice. He should really start asking for the names of these song. The closer that Dipper heard the voice come, the more anxious he became. He did not know, if he should start running again or stay put and hope that Bill would walk right past him.

The choice was made for him. The singing was so close. Dipper covered his mouth, almost holding his breath in anticipation, as he heard the rustling of the grass against Bill’s form. He was so very, very close. He could basically hear him stepping right behind the rock he was hiding behind. Then, every sound stopped, and Dipper made sure to stay perfectly still, since Bill was hearing out for any signs of him. The silence stretched for a while, before he heard Bill move away.

Each passing step, making him smile. The demon probably thought that he had continued running, instead of hiding from him. While praising himself for his wonderful skills, Dipper missed that the words and melody no longer warned him of Bill’s position. Instead the only sound that he could hear was his own wild heartbeat. He waited for a bit, before deciding to check if he was in the clear or not. He peeked over to the side of the rock, and saw no signs of the blond only of the trees that were rooted a good distance away from each other. The dream demon had probably began running again to try and find him.

The mystery hunter turned back, leaning against the rock behind him smiling from ear to ear at his victory. Only to end up face to face with Bill. The dream demon mirroring his victorious smile. “Found you, Pine Tree!”

“Yeah, but you’ve got to catch me too!” Dipper laughed, as he scrambled away from him, and back onto his feet. He quickly ran towards one of the trees, having the laughing dream demon right on his heels. It seemed like their game of cat and mouse was about to come to an end, but he wasn’t going down without a bit of resistance. Dipper reached the tree, using it as cover from Bill. His pale hands grasping onto either side of it, as he pondered something quickly. He had been serenaded by Bill- twice- so it would only be fair to return the favor. The mystery hunter parted his lips to sing one of those old songs that Bill enjoyed.

It had to be you~

The words left his mouth, sounding blissfully and enchanting-exactly what he had aimed to do. The rustling from the other side of the tree halted, and Dipper took in a shuddering breath. Now, he had all of his attention; it was a bit nerve wrecking. The first part of the song completely leaving his mind, so he decided to just go from where he could remember.

Some others I’ve seen might never be mean

He pressed his forehead to the trunk of the tree, feeling embarrassed, even after all of those karaoke nights. He was lucky that he had enough control over his voice so it didn’t reflect in it. He kept it cool and collected. Just knowing that it was Bill listening to him made his small insecurities take a backseat. 

Might never be cross or try to be boss

But they wouldn’t do

He peaked his head out to the side. His cheek pressing against the trunk of the tree, as he caught sight of the dream demon and his perfect smile. And he could not help smile back. The thoughts of their past misadventures and adventures passing through his mind.

For nobody else gave me a thrill

His eyelashes fluttered on their own accord, and he had a dreamy smile on his face that matched Bill’s own. He could hear Bill’s breath hitch, as he shared with him all of the fond memories, and his true feelings for him through their link. His face burning up, at the anticipation of the next words of the song.

With all your faults I love you still!

With those words Dipper shot out from the side of the tree, running towards another tree. He couldn’t help the breathless laugh that left his lips. Before he could reach his destination, he felt arms wrap around his waist sending them both tumbling into the floor. Their blissful laughter filling up the air, as they rolled around in the grass. The sky and grass switching places for Dipper, as they continued to roll around. When they came to a stop, Bill adjusted himself to sit on his hips, lightly pinning down his wrists. Bill was looming over him, their faces only an inch apart, and they were both smiling at each other. Both of their cheeks red from the exertion, sweat dripping from their faces, and they were both breathlessly panting. 

“Caught ya, Pine Tree! It’s game over for you!” Bill hummed happily on top of him.

“It took you long enough, all mighty demon.” Dipper mocked sweetly, smiling smugly.

“That’s cause of all of the advantages I gave you, kid. And I still managed to win fair and two of me together!” Bill let go of his wrists, cupping his cheeks instead. “You know, you’re really cute when you’re running like your life depends on it. All determined and desperate to get away!”

A sudden bout of anger took Dipper over the comment, he pouted. “Is that why you started to sing that song?”

Bill blushed a bright gold, showing that he was actually embarrassed instead of the natural red that radiated off his vessel. It surprised Dipper this sort of thing never happened, unless the dream demon spent too much time in his human vessel and the human feelings started to overwhelm him. “I actually sang that song for the same reason that you sang yours.” Dipper lifted his eyebrow in clear disbelief. The demon licked his lips, elaborating. “You see, it’s a courting song for us demons. Although it is more of a dominance and intimidation thing for us, you know, flaunting our powers and ability to strike fear into anyone’s or anything’s heart…It’s to show interest between two of my kind, and it’s sorta the closest thing to a love song that we have. I guess. ”

Dipper’s eyes widened, staring at the golden ones in front of him. The words that he could translate racing through his mind, having some morbid sense of love. It was like gothic literature: a mixture of horror of romance. It made sense that it was demonic song, considering the effect that it had on him. He was going to make sure that he wrote all about it in his journal later; his hand was already itching to jot it down. Although, they were also itching to do something else too. The stupid demon’s best intentions always ended up being so misinterpreted.

One day Dipper hoped to be as close as he could to the being in front of him, so he would never mistake his weird, love quirks. The human principles of romance was a new thing for the demon and him, but they would make it through it. He mimicked the dream demon’s hands, placing his hands on Bill’s face to drag down to make the distance between them disappear. Although, he pulled the demon down too hard, and his cap ended up thwacking Bill in the face. 

Bill laughed at the pain that bloomed, while Dipper murmured an apology. He covered his own face in shame. Bill smiled endearingly, before pushing the pine tree cap off his head. The dream demon waited patiently for Dipper to move his hands, pushing his bangs out of the way. Dipper knew that the demon was looking at the birthmark on his forehead. It was not a well-kept secret that Bill thought his birthmark was an interesting and cute attribute. Bill made a blatant point of admiring the big dipper on his forehead at every given opportunity. The mystery hunter could feel his stare, and he blushed harder. He was so embarrassed. All he had wanted was a kiss, but his damn cap. The demon must have read his mind, since he did what Dipper had set out to do. He felt the Bill’s lips press against the center of his forehead, making him whine behind his throat. The butterflies in his stomach fluttering with every kiss to his birthmark. Slowly Dipper moved his hands from his face, wrapping them around his shoulders loosely.

The warmth spreading through his body, making him feel happy. Bill pulled away, locking eyes with him and smiling as he pressed their foreheads together. These were the moments that he appreciated to have with the demon. He wished he could have been able to reciprocate the feelings from the song. Sure it had not had the effect Bill had wished for, but it was the sentiment that counted. Even if the foreign, dead languages from the song promised some creepy things, which had him shaking in his sneakers. It made him feel like an idiot. “I really wish that you would have told me that it was courting song before you started chasing me. ” Dipper whined, averting the gorgeous, golden eyes. “I wouldn’t have freaked out, if you had. I just thought that you were going to… Go through with your words .”

“Such little faith, Pine Tree.” Bill pressed his lips against the human’s cheeks, enjoying his blush. No matter how intimate they had come to be the brunet was always so easy to become flustered with the simplest of things. “I wouldn’t hurt you. You’re an interesting little meat sack, and there’s so much fun that we could have with each other.” Bill ghosted his lips over the trembling ones underneath him. “There’s also the deal that we made; you’re going to live a long life by my side, little sapling.” The demon grinned, pressing his teeth on his lips and Dipper groaned. Bill laughed, before doing what Dipper wanted from him, using less teeth in exchange for lips during the kiss. It was a peaceful, lazy movement, leaning his head to the side so their noses were not pressed against each other. Their lips smacking against each other.

The kiss was filled with nice and languid movements, until it started to build up. Bill pulled away for a bit to get a better angle, and Dipper whined. “Bill, please.” He asked desperately; his voice completely hoarse and wrecked. It sounded wonderful. Bill could not deny him anything, when he asked him in that way. The demon pressed his lips passionately against him, and Dipper reciprocated the intensity of it. Once the need for air became too much for them, they panted against each other.

“Oh my, this sensation is seriously great!“ Bill laughed. “You want to use that pretty little flower now?” Dipper flushed at the mention of the flower; the redness reaching all the way from the tip of his ears to his shoulders. He instinctively pushed him away, making the dream demon fall onto his back still cackling.

Well, the moment was completely gone.

Dipper caught his breath, laying on his back. Stretching an arm on top of his eyes to relax, hearing the continuous string of laughter. He could not help, but smile himself. He loved hearing the demon’s laugh, not the malicious one he used to instill fear, but the one he seemed to genuinely show his happiness. He could not believe that he had fallen so hard for Bill Cipher. It did not take long, before Dipper went back to his backpack. He untied the strings, and pulled out his journal, starting to write the facts that he had learned. He laid down on his stomach, using the rock’s shade. It was relaxing.

Soon the dream demon stopped laughing, and he flopped down onto his side next to him. Bill brought up his hand to brush through Dipper’s curly, chocolate colored hair. The mystery hunter could not help but lean into his touch, forgiving the demon’s audacious comments. They laid there in a peaceful and blissful state.

“Dipper Pines.” Bill said, after the short reprieve, breaking the silence. The fact that the demon had used his actual name surprised him, and he whipped his head to the side to stare at him. Only to be met by a bright flash of light.

“Bill!” Dipper squeaked out, lunging at the camera in his hand. He had not even noticed, when the demon had pulled it out of his bag. Dipper got up to snatch the picture away, but Bill was already floating away, just out of his reach. The dream demon was shaking the polaroid photo in his hand for all that it was worth. He whistled, once the image formed on it.

“You’re positively adorable. I love it”

“I’m not adorable.” Dipper huffed.

“Sure.” Bill chuckled, "whatever you say!” He flicked his wrist, making the image disappear into the mindscape. A new idea seemed to strike the dream demon, as he teleported right behind Dipper. “Hey, Pine Tree. Let’s take a photo together!” The demon said right next to his ears. His feet were completely off the ground, and he was laying down casually in the air. Dipper puffed out his cheeks, but he did not have a valid excuse to deny the proposition. He also did not have a photo of them together, and it was nice. It was something normal that couples would do, right? Therefore, he allowed Bill to hold the camera in front of them. Grinning brilliantly, he pressed his cheek next to Dipper’s own. The mystery hunter rolled his eyes before he gave a small shy smile. Moments later the same flash greeted him.

The same process of flapping the image around until the image formed was repeated. Dipper patted down his hair, feeling a bit self-conscious. Then, Bill turned back around showing him the photo. “This is perfect isn’t it?”

Dipper took the photograph into his hands, smiling at the image. They looked adorable, and dare he say it perfect with one another. “I guess it is nice.” 

“Sure it is. I’m in it. And one more for the road!” Bill shouted, staring at him with wide eyes. Before Dipper could complain that the film he bought was strictly for his supernatural findings, Bill crashed their lips together. Dipper melted instantly into the kiss, and he did not even notice the flash of the camera. Bill pulled away once the photo was done processing. “Wow. Now I get the whole reason that shooting star fills up those books with photos. This is fun! We should take more!”

Dipper laughed at the brilliance and excitement in Bill’s eyes. He looked so happy. He doubted anyone would believe that he was a demon with the way that he was acting in the moment, and he was the only one that the demon ever showed this side. Although, he took the camera away from his hands. “Maybe another time, Bill. When I have more film and look more presentable, we can take as many pictures as you like.”

“It’s a deal, kid!”

They spent the rest of day, exploring the forest hand in hand. They started to talk about anything and everything that came to mind. Bill had no off switch to the things that he said, and Dipper curiosity had no end. Dipper asked the questions; Bill provided the answers. The mystery hunter and the greatest mystery that he had ever encountered, enjoying an average day in the forest.

**Author's Note:**

> This is what their relationship will turn into in the series. Haha I kind of like to work backwards? Comments are always appreciated, so leave one if you wanna :D


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